Apollo Cinema joins petition to fight monopolies in film industry
Posted Feb 21, 2020 12:00:00 PM.
Apollo Cinema in Kitchener has joined forces with independent theatres across Canada to fight against monopolies in the film industry.
The petition was originally put forward by the RIO Theatre in Vancouver, on behalf of the Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors.
Cara Watson, Director of Operations at the Apollo Cinema, said independent cinemas are saddled with restrictions.
“The restrictions right now mean that we can't really play a film until it's finished being played in multiplexes in Kitchener and sometimes in Waterloo.”
She called the situation 'frustrating', especially as downtown Kitchener becomes more dense with people.
“Those people really want things to do downtown including entertainment, and we can't really serve them properly if we are being denied the ability to play the films that they want to watch until much after their initial release dates. We just want to give them a chance to have a great cinema experience in a local way.”
Watson added Apollo Cinemas has adapted to the roadblock by playing a lot of older and classic movies, but ultimately they want to provide a greater choice in film selections for the public.
Moving ahead, the Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors will be filing an anti-competition complaint with the Competition Bureau of Canada.
